Improvement in box-nailing machines



F. .ROCHOW.

BOX-NAILING MACHINE.

Patented Jun27.1876.

N PEI'ERS. FNDTO-UTHOGRAPNER, WASHINGTON, D. C.

Nrrnn STATES PATENT IMPROVEMENT IN BOX-NAILING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,135, dated J une27, 1876 application filed April 11, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND Rocnow,

of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedan Improvement in Box-N ailing Machines, of which the following is aspecification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved box-nailing machine. Fig. 2is a rear elevation Fig. 3, a partial front elevation, and Fig. 4 a topview, partly in section, of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail verticalsection of the nailguide and plunger.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in all thefigures.

This invention relates to several improvements in the operatingmechanism and construction of box-nailing machines; and consists in anew automatic unshipping device, a novel variable throw of the plungers,new arrangement of continuous jaws, and adjustable nail-guides, andother features of improvement hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, the letter A represents the frame of myimproved box-nailing machine. In this frame is hung a shaft, B, whichcarries a loose pulley, a, and a sliding clutch, b, that bears acone-pulley, d, of a size to fit a corresponding cavity of the loosepulley a, so that when, by moving the clutch, the cone-pulley d is borneagainst the pulley a, the shaft B will be revolved; otherwise not. Inplace of the cone-pulley d, any other style of clutching device may beused. A pinion, e, on the shaft B, gears into a toothed wheel, j, thatis mounted upon another shaft, 0, as shown. This shaft 0 carries thecrank or cranks g, by which the nailing-plungers are moved up and down,each revolution of the shaft G serving to impart one reciprocatingmovement to said plungers. The shaft 0 also carries a wheel, I), whichhas a depression or notch, h, at one side, or at its edge. Theshipping-lever E, which serves to move the clutch b, and which, by a rodor rods, 13, connects with a suitable treadle or handle, F, carries atits upper part a friction-roller,j, which is by a spring, it, constantlyheld in contact with the notched face or edge of the wheel D. Whenever,after a descent, the nailing-plungers have been raised, the notch h willbe exactly in line with the friction-roller j, and the latter will, bythe spring 7c, be drawn into said notch, as in Fig-2.

1 The movement thus imparted to the lever E causes it to withdraw theclutch from the loose driving-pulley a, and thereby to arrest therotation of the shafts B and O and the operation of the machine. Thusthe machine is always automatically stopped after its nailingplungershave ascended from a nailing operation, and 'the attendant has ampletime to adjust the boards or pieces for a new nailing process.

A touch of the treadle or handle will suffice to set the clutch againstthe loose pulley, I

and to withdraw-the roller j from the notch h, and to thus permit afresh rotation of the shaft 0.

The wrist-pin of the crank g on the shaft C extends through the slot ofa crank, 1, that projects from a rock-shaft, Gr, which is hunghorizontally in the upper-part of the frame A, a short distance behindthe vertically-recip rocating cross-head H. The said cross-head, whichcarries the nailing-plungers in the manner hereinafter more fullydescribed, is guided in its upright movements on rails m m, which areformed. on the frame A, as indicated in Fig. 4.

At or near each end the cross-head H is provided with toothed racks n n,that gear into toothed segments 0 0, projecting from the rock-shaft Gr.When, by the rotation of the shaft U, the crank g is caused to oscillatethe shaft (9511116 latter will, by its segments 0 0, causethe cross-headto moveup and down in the desired manner. The cross-head, being at bothends positively connectedwith the moving mechanism, is thus guardedagainst all danger of tilting, and guides the plungers in the propermanner.

In place of the racks n n, equivalent moving devices may be employed.

It will be observed that, as the slotted crank 1 projects throughout itslength from one side of the shaft G, a variable throw is imparted tosaid shaft-that is to say, if the shaft Ois rotated in the direction ofthe arrow 2, Fig.1, its crank will work in the extended end of the slotin the crank I while causing the crosshead to descend, and the descentwill therefore be slow and powerful-a desideratum when long or thicknails are to be driven, or hard wood is to be nailed; but the ascentwill be more rapid. If, however, the nailing is to be more rapid, andthe ascent slow, it is only necessary to reverse the motion of the shaft0, so that its crank will cause the descent of the cross-head whilemoving in that part of the slotted crank l which is nearest the shaftg-i. e., in the direction of the arrow 1.

The vertically-reciprocating cross-head H has at its lower part ahorizontal groove, p, in which the upper ends of the nailing-plungcrs Iare held, as in Fig. 5, and wherein said plungers can be moved andadjusted in horizontal direction in any manner desired. A suitablenumber of such plungers may be applied to said cross-head, and madeadjustable thereon. The nail-clamping jaws of the machine are formed bytwo parallel horizontal crossbars, J and L, whose ends are supported onlugs q q that project from the frontof the frame A, on which lugs saidcross-bars are horizontally movable toward and away from each other.Between these two bars is formed a narrow opening or slot, which iscontinuous from one side of the frame A to the other, between the twolugs q (1 thereof. When these bars are brought near together theyconstitute jaws for clamping or holding the nails, but when they aredrawn apart they furnish no obstacle to the further descent of thenails. cross-bars J and L are connected with upright levers M and N,respectively, which levers are pivoted in boxes 1" s, that are supportedin the frame A, and rendered adjustable as to their distances apart, byset-screws t t, indicated in Fig. 1. The upper ends of the levers M Ncarry friction-rollers u u, and enter into guide-slots that are formedby three pendent arms 2;, w, and x, at each end ofthe cross-head H. Theupper ends of these guide-slots are curved toward each other, so thatwhen the cross-head H descends, the levers M and N will, upon enteringthe curved ends of said slots, be spread apart at their lower ends,serving thereby tospread the cross-bars J L. The plungers l are therebyenabled to push the nail-heads through the space formed between saidcross-bars into the wood 'to be nailed. The lower part of each plunger Iis always-inserted in a vertical apertureof a nail-guide, O, which is aperforated block, supported on a rail, 2, of the frame A, (see Fig. 5,)and laterally adjustable thereon. This nail-guide has aninclinedaperture, 2, which leads into the vertical bore, and serves toreceive the nail to be driven. On the rail the guide 0 may be clamped insuitable posisaid cross-bars, respectively, and constitute when used thevirtual nail-jaws. These blocks The ends of the may reach into a groovein the under side of the guide 0, as in Fig. 3, so that they will followthe same during its adjustment on the bars J and L.

A suitable table, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, is applied to thefront of the frame A, below the cross-bars J and L, and is renderedvertically adjustable by suitable means in accordance with the height ofthe upright board to be nailed. Before the process of nailing iscommenced the nail-guides O O are adjusted on the rail 3 the requisitedistance apart, and with them the blocks 1) and 0 and the plungers I l,which follow the movements of the said nail-guides. v Anail is next, bysuitable means inserted in the aperture z of each nail-guide. Duringthese arrangements the cross-head H, with its plungers, is elevated toits highest extent, the blocks b 0 or crossbars J and L, being closedtogether, so that the nails introduced in the guides cannot fallthrough.

The boards to be nailed being next properly placed against each other onthe table, the treadle F is depressed and the machine thereby set inmotion, so that the cross-head H, with its plungers I I, are forceddown, the plungers pushing the nails downward with them in thenail-guides. As the cross-head H is about to reach its lower position,the

levers M and N are vibrated to separate the cross-bars J and L, and withthem the blocks b and 0 whereby the plungers will be enabled to drivethe nails freely down past the bars J L into the wood. The furtherrotation of the shaft 0 causes the cross-head with its plungers to beelevated, and then the machine is arrested by the notched wheel D, inmanner already described. may then remove the nailed boards, adjust newboards to be nailed, and restart the machine in like manner. .But oneplunger I and nail-guide O are shown in the drawing, but it is evidentthat any suitable number may be employed to permit the simultaneousdriving of any suitable number of nails.

I claim as my invention V.

1. The combination of the shipping-lever E, which actuates the clutch b,with the notched wheel D, which serves to automatically stop themachine, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with the notched wheel D, friction-rollerj, and leverE, the rod or pin '6,

treadle or handle F, and spring is, all arranged to operatesubstantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination of the operating crosshead H of a box-nailingmachine, provided with racks n n, and operating the nailing-plungers I,with the segments 0 0, and rock-shaft G, substantially as herein shownand described.

4. The combination of the vertically-reciprocating cross-head H, whichhas the horizontal groove 19, with the plunger I, having a head restingin said groove and adjustable therein, substantially as specified.

The attendant-- 5. The combination of the frameA of a boxnailingmachine, and lugs q, with the laterallyadjustable cross-bars J and L,which are supported and adjustable on said lugs q, and form between thema continuous nail-passage, and also constitute the nail-holder, asspecified.

6. The combination of the cross-bars J L with the levers M and N, andthe reciprocating crosshead H, which actuates said levers, substantiallyas herein shown and described.

7. The cross head H, provided with the arms 0), w, and w, and combinedwith the levers M and N, and bars J and L to actuate the same,substantially as herein shown and described.

8. The tubular nail-guide 0, supported on

